MONROE, La. – The ULM men’s basketball program added more size and athleticism to its roster with the signing of Jamaal Samuel, ULM head coach Keith Richard announced Thursday.

Samuel, a native of New Orleans, played at Illinois State last season and will sit out during the 2014-15 season as a member of the ULM squad. He will have two years of eligibility remaining which will begin in 2015-16.

“Jamaal is a 6-9 kid with great length and a good skill level. He will benefit greatly from the year he has to sit out to comply with NCAA transfer rules. With added strength and experience, he will be a positive addition to our team in 2015-16,” Richard said.

Last season, Samuel ranked top-5 in the Missouri Valley Conference in blocks with 0.9 per game. He helped the team to the semi-finals of the 2014 CBI Tournament and an 18-16 overall record.

Samuel registered a career-high 10 points on five-of-five shooting against Northern Iowa on Feb. 5. He pulled down a personal-best eight rebounds versus Bradley on Feb. 15, and rejected four blocks to go along with his six rebounds against Evansville on Feb. 12.

In high school, Samuel averaged 16 points and eight rebounds per game as a senior at O. Perry Walker in New Orleans. He guided the team to a 21-9 record and to the state semi-finals for the third time in the 4A LHSAA tournament.